Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are obligatory byproducts of aerobic metabolism and thus are generated continuously in humans and other organisms. Humans are also exposed to ROS from exogenous/environmental sources such as pollution, sunlight and diet. While there are different chemical forms of ROS, they all produce deleterious actions on the structure and function of cellular constituents and macromolecules. The intensity of ROS generation/exposure is termed oxidative stress.
Oxidative stress is considered to be associated with the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, cancer, atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases, as well as with degenerative neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Moreover, multiple lines of evidence support the view that oxidative stress is a central mechanism underlying normal aging. Accordingly, a need exists to develop compositions and methods to inhibit oxidative stress.
The moderate use of wine has been reported to lower the incidence of cardiovascular diseases and their consequent mortality in wine-drinking populations. Moderate wine intake has also been reported to provide a neuroprotective effect against dementia. Grapes contain several bioactive polyphenolic compounds, including flavonoids (such as flavan-3-ols and oligomers thereof known as proanthocyanidins; flavonols, anthocyanins, and flavanones) and non-flavonoids (such as phenolic acids, tannins and stilbene derivatives, for example resveratrol). The non-flavonoid resveratrol has been considered to mediate many of the beneficial effects of grape products on the human cardiovascular system. The protective and anti-inflammatory effects of the flavonoids are believed to be due to free radical scavenging, various effects on cellular signaling pathways and gene expression, and selective interference with a multitude of factors that affect the cell division cycle of rapidly and abnormally proliferating mammalian cells.